UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay

An iconic landmark of health care, built from the ground up with care and compassion in mind.

UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is our newest state-of-the-art hospital complex that has been designed to ensure that our facilities match UCSF's top-notch patient care. Our new hospitals were built with a focus on the patient’s experience every step of the way. Here at Mission Bay, you'll find the latest technology, including telemedicine, robotics and intra-operative imaging, as well as space to accommodate tomorrow's innovations. Built alongside UC San Francisco's vibrant research hub, our new hospitals bring together leading physicians and scientists to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into actual treatments and cures. All of this is housed in a structure that incorporates the highest standards of patient safety, energy efficiency, seismic readiness and environmental sustainability.

Super Bowl Sunday marked the start of a new era for UCSF. As the rest of the nation prepared for the big game, hundreds of staff gathered at dawn to carry out a carefully orchestrated transfer of inpatients from our Mount Zion and Parnassus hospitals to their new beds at Mission Bay. They didn't rest until the last patient had been safely tucked in.

From the operating rooms to the rooftop gardens, each detail of the new UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco has been carefully chosen to create an environment that soothes, entertains and supports the healing of our young patients.

When it comes to building a children's hospital that serves the whole family, what better experts to consult than families who've been there, done that? Our Family Advisory Committee showed us the touches, both big and small, that can help support parents during a hospital stay.

More from UCSF Medical Center

New Beginnings

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Moving Day

Super Bowl Sunday may have been about team rivalry, dancing sharks and last-minute interceptions for much of the country. But it was the culmination of more than a decade of hard work and planning for UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

Starting at 7 a.m. we moved 131 patients in 40 ambulances from our Parnassus and Mount Zion campuses to the new medical center at Mission Bay, home to San Francisco's only stand-alone children's hospital and medical helipad; state-of-the-art women's and cancer hospitals; and the outpatient UCSF Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

A Monumental Endeavor

About 300 UCSF staff and faculty and 100 emergency medical service workers spent much of the day focused on the considerable task of bringing patients across San Francisco to the new hospitals. Each patient, from the tiniest preemie to our mothers in labor, arrived at the new hospital safe and sound. Many expressed excitement about participating in a historic day for San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Anniston's Journey

Anniston left our old children's hospital at Parnassus at around 8 a.m. clutching her favorite doll, Violet. The 5-year-old from Petaluma was diagnosed with leukemia in June and has been receiving chemotherapy treatment.

Her therapy makes her extremely vulnerable to infection, and she wore a protective mask throughout the move.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Our Tiniest Patients

Two-week-old twins Bianca and Sienna were the first patients to arrive at the new children's hospital. They traveled together in our customized ambulance, which is roomy enough to accommodate two isolettes, the incubators that hold premature babies.

Colorful name banners greeted them in their rooms, thanks to our nurses who wanted families to feel at home in the new intensive care nursery. Pediatric patients also received special keys the day before the move, which fit into a commemorative puzzle waiting for them at the new hospital, along with teddy bears and fun activities.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Space and Privacy

Bianca and Sienna were born about two months before their due date via emergency cesarean section.

Their parents, Kimberley Keser and Claudia Delgado, soon settled into the new room and began feeding the girls and giving them skin-to-skin cuddles. The atmosphere was calm as the couple relaxed in their matching rocking chairs and listened to the Hotel Costes channel on Pandora.

"It's almost like being at the Four Seasons," Keser said with a laugh. "The space and privacy are probably the biggest boon."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Beautiful New Rooms

Sienna's nurse for the day, Robin Bisgaard, has worked in our intensive care nursery since 1986. While Sienna napped, Bisgaard took a moment to reflect on the positive impact the new single-occupancy, state-of-the-art rooms would have on babies and their families.

"I've been a nurse here for 29 years and I didn't cry leaving Parnassus," Bisgaard said. "But arriving here and helping settle moms in the beautiful new rooms made me tear up."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Mission Bay Comes Alive

Valerie Bednar worked on the UCSF team tasked with preparing staff for the transition to Mission Bay. On move day she was busy roaming the third-floor halls with a clipboard in hand, making sure everything was going smoothly.

After months spent in a virtually empty facility, Bednar was thrilled to see the hospital come alive. "It didn't feel like a home before, but there's life and spirit here now that the patients have arrived," she said.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Finally Here

We designed our new children's hospital to support the whole child. Nowhere was this more evident than in the creative arts studio, where music therapist Oliver Jacobson strummed his guitar and sang about opening day.

"With a recording studio, the quality of patient recordings will be exponentially better and provide our patients with powerful validation of their hospital experience," Jacobson said.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Surprise Visit

Our patient Oliver didn't expect to be part of a UCSF milestone. But the Friday before opening day, the 4-year-old severed an artery and damaged two nerves in his left arm after he slipped and crashed through a glass door.

Oliver was born eight weeks early and spent time in our intensive care nursery at Parnassus as a newborn.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Years of Planning

"It's pretty apparent they've been planning this for 10 years," said Oliver's mom, Amanda Sather. "All along the way, they've informed us of every detail about the move. They continually checked in to make sure we understood what was happening."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Like a Five-Star Hotel

Six-month-old Tru was born at 33 weeks with a tracheoesophageal fistula. After undergoing two surgeries and spending his first 146 days in our intensive care nursery, Tru headed home just before Christmas.

He caught the flu at the end of January and wound up in the hospital again.

"Everything's been going great at the new hospital," said Angela Banks, Tru's mom. "It's like a five-star hotel that you want to leave."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Anniston Gets Settled

Meanwhile, 5-year-old Anniston was cuddled up with her father, Allen Klemme, in her new bed watching Octonauts cartoons on a huge multimedia screen.

Anniston didn't hesitate when asked what she liked best about her new room. "The TV," she said with a shy smile. The new view of the water was also nice, she noted.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

More Comfortable for Families

Anniston's father, a Tiburon police officer, and her grandfather, David, were sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the little girl's name. David Klemme said the family already felt at home in the new hospital.

"It's more spacious, with bigger rooms," he said. "It's more accommodating to family."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Special Features for Teens

Iris van Dalen, a 16-year-old from Marin, has been in and out of the hospital for four years with ulcerative colitis. Iris worked on our Youth Advisory Council, advising designers on how to make the new hospital more kid-friendly. She was particularly interested in technological improvements that appeal to teens, such as the new multimedia monitors and tablets in patient rooms.

"It's definitely a lot more comfortable," Iris said of Mission Bay. "It feels like a homey place, not stark white walls."

"We have these bright, vibrant, happy colors," she said. "They designed it to make people at peace — not just the child but the parents."

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

A Festive Day

There was an air of festivity throughout the hospital on Sunday, as staff and volunteers beamed at passersby in the halls and elevators, celebrating a day they'd been anticipating for years.

Dr. Jeffrey Bullard-Berent, a physician in our children's emergency department, even wore a special hat to commemorate a personal milestone: his Feb. 1 birthday.

"I'm delighted that San Francisco finally has a 24/7 emergency department dedicated to children," Bullard-Berent said as he left the cafeteria with his birthday lunch.

Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice

Happy Birthday, Paolo

Bullard-Berent wasn't the only one to celebrate his birthday on the hospital's opening day. At 12:11 p.m. our new Birth Center welcomed the first baby born at Mission Bay: a healthy boy named Paolo, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce.

As the first Mission Bay baby, Paolo appeared on the evening news and received a gift basket and commemorative onesie declaring him the "first born" at the new hospital.

Photo by Jessica Bernstein-Wax

New Hospital, New Baby

Paolo's mother, Nancy Price, said she and her husband, Vladimir Ramirez-Carrozzi, spent a few hours at Parnassus early Sunday morning before driving to Mission Bay and checking in at 7:02 a.m., two minutes after the hospital opened.

Price, who gave birth to her older son, Nicolas, almost five years earlier in our Parnassus hospital, said she enjoyed the new features at Mission Bay, including the spa-like labor tubs.

"The staff was amazing in both facilities," she said.

Photo by Jessica Bernstein-Wax

Welcome Home

Our nurses were particularly excited to welcome the last pediatric patient on the fifth floor. As the little boy arrived on a gurney, they greeted him with cheers and a "welcome home" balloon.

A little after 3:30 p.m., the broadcast everyone was waiting for came over the loudspeakers: "Operation at Mission Bay all clear." The last of 131 patients had arrived safely at our new Mission Bay medical center. We were officially open for business.

8 Little Touches Making a Difference for Kids

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It's the Little Things

From the family-friendly rooms to the rooftop gardens, each detail of the new UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco has been carefully chosen to create an environment that soothes, entertains and supports the healing of our young patients.

Interactive Art All Over

For kids, a trip to the hospital can be scary. That's why the art at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital invites engagement, which helps "children feel like they have control over their environment," says Michael Towne, UCSF Child Life Services manager.

Creature murals add a dose of fun to our hallways. Pose for a photo with a pair of wings, antlers or beautiful feathers. The lobby's 27-foot Invisible Stained Glass exhibit, developed in partnership with San Francisco's Exploratorium museum, lets kids spin filters to create colorful, kaleidoscopic patterns. The artful touches continue in the patient rooms, which feature special glass that casts colored light patterns on the floors.

Adventure-Themed Imaging Suites

Our new imaging suites are equipped with stereo surround sound and projected images designed to evoke a hike through Muir Woods, a ride on a cable car or a sail on the San Francisco Bay, complete with images of boats gliding by or the clanging of a cable car. Patients will also have the choice to use special MRI goggles to watch a favorite movie during their MRI.

Experts hope the suites will ease "scanxiety" and reduce the need for sedation or repeat tests. "Kids typically hesitate when they're told to hop on the table. But if instead they're told, 'Let's go take a ride on the boat,' they're more likely to be intrigued than anxious," says Dr. John MacKenzie, chief of pediatric radiology at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

Child-Sized Features

Hospitals can seem large and intimidating to kids. To help our patients feel more at home, we've installed everything from low counters at the nurse stations to wall handrails just the right height for kids. There's even a tyke-sized door at the hospital's gift shop.

Entertainment Suites

Each patient room has a large flat-screen TV that does a lot more than play reruns. Patients can use the TVs to order meals on demand, play movies and music and — come mid-March — virtually join their classroom back home or video chat with friends and family via Skype. Health care providers can use the TVs to project medical imaging information during consultations with families.

Each room also comes with a bedside tablet, which kids can use for playing video games.

Creative Outlets and Activities

Whether our patients’ stays are long or short, we want them to enjoy as much "normal life" as possible. That includes staying on track with schoolwork at the K-12 Marie Wattis School, a fully accredited part of the San Francisco Unified School District. We also offer extensive art and music therapy programs including a creative arts studio for music production, as well as a digital arts studio for teens to make their own movies. "Art and music are expressive modalities," Michael Towne says. "They can be a powerful way for patients to process some of the profound and emotional issues they're facing." Many activities are open to siblings of patients as well.

Space to Stay by Your Child's Side

Surgery can be particularly scary for kids. That's why we designed special pre-operative rooms so kids never have to feel alone. In a single private room, you'll stay by your child's side as anesthesia is given.

We want families to feel welcome at all times, day or night. To make it easier for family and loved ones to stay close, patient rooms feature a "family area" equipped with storage space, Wi-Fi and a comfortable sleeper couch.

Our innovative new Intensive Care Nursery will also keep babies in private rooms — doubles for twins — instead of the traditional bays of four to six babies. This cuts down on unnecessary light and noise and makes it easier for parents to give their newborns plenty of skin-to-skin contact — all of which have been shown to benefit premature babies.

Play Space So Kids Can Be Kids

Playrooms are designed by age, with colorful games and toys for youngsters and a foosball table, video games and kitchen lounge for teens.

We've also kept the different needs of our various patients in mind. Kids on the Blood and Marrow Transplant unit, who are at high risk of infection, can connect face-to-face with their siblings via a special activity room with a windowed wall and phone. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit also has a customized playroom for siblings and parents with muted light, fiber optic "stars" in the ceiling and low-slung alcoves where families can talk in a protected space. "We call it 'The Room that Hugs You,'" says Towne.

For patients struggling with stress, anxiety and pain, the new multi-sensory room offers distractions such as a vibration table, projected images and bubble tubes of different, changeable colors. "It allows children to escape the whole medical environment in a mindful and very sensory way," Towne says.

Nature in the City

Mission Bay's 4.3 total acres of garden space make it among the greenest urban hospitals in the country. Giant windows in every patient room overlook rooftop gardens, and a tranquil space to enjoy greenery so fresh air is always just a few steps away. Kids can do physical therapy sessions outside in the sunshine, in the Children's Play Terrace garden across from the Physical Rehabilitation Center.

7 Great Perks for Parents

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Lessons Learned

When it comes to building a children's hospital that serves the whole family, what better experts to consult than families who've been there, done that? Our Family Advisory Committee showed us the touches, both big and small, that can help support parents during a hospital stay.

All in the Family

Every patient room is single occupancy, and all have Wi-Fi and a dedicated family area with thoughtful details such as a sleeper sofa and a lockable cupboard for safely storing your personal belongings. You can order fresh, healthy meals to be delivered right to the room, making it easier to stay by your child's side.

Babies in the Intensive Care Nursery will also stay in private rooms — doubles for twins — with special family areas making it more comfortable for parents to stay close to their newborns.

Convenience is Key

In order to help support parents and siblings as best as possible, we've designated a spacious Family Resources Room where you can relax, connect to Wi-Fi, chat with other families and become more educated about your child's condition. There are two telephone rooms for making private calls. The room also has a Resource Library, where parents can check out books. You can make use of a scanner, fax and computer terminals so that you can take care of any business. Missing vital toiletries? There's a stock of necessities on hand here, as well as a special shower area for families to use.

Plenty of Fresh Air

The hospital delivers 100 percent fresh outdoor air, with no recirculation, throughout the buildings. Plus, Mission Bay has designed relaxing outdoor terraces on every floor — close by patient rooms, so you never need to go far to get outside and regroup.

Ronald McDonald House on Site

For families who've traveled from afar, the Ronald McDonald House offers a home-away-from-home, with room for 11 families, laundry facilities and a fully equipped kitchen — all integrated within the hospital.

Concierge Care

Navigating the health care system is tough! So we've designed a Pediatric Surgery Family Concierge service, a one-stop liaison to help parents schedule pediatric surgeries and complex procedures. The liaison serves as a single point of contact, helps coordinate care and gives parents an easy-to-follow itinerary.

Family Friendly Pre-Op

To help ease pre-op anxiety, parents can join their children in a private pre-operative room. You can stay right by your child's side as anesthesia is given, so your child never feels alone.

Room to Roam and Recharge

Mission Bay is among the greenest urban hospitals in the world, with 16 unique gardens and more than 4 acres of green space. Meditation rooms with low light, calming music and nature-inspired décor offer space for solitude and reflection. The ground-floor meditation garden provides further soothing respite with a fountain and labyrinth. The Fourth Street Public Plaza just steps outside the hospital will host farmers' markets and community events.